Defibering apparatus



Dec. 5, 1944- c. E. RoBERsoN I DEFIBERING APPARATS Filed June 28, 1945 s l; W im# .4+ s wid 4 im.. n. J www QT. rf@ Y n |||||||=I1!.-.||.. lm HLEJTEJ www v Pefented Dee. s, 1944 f nEFraEamG APPARATUS cyrus E. Roberson, Hooslek Fans, N. Y., assigner to The Noble & Wood Machine Company, Hooslck Falls, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 28, 1943, No. 492,583 l 4 claims. (ci. :iz-20)A This invention relates to the deflbration of 1 certain fibrous materials for the purpose of re d-uclng the same to extremely fine substantially uniform fibre sizes (in the order of microns) while simultaneously removing therefrom unwanted particles of foreign matter.

For the purposes of this application I shall discuss my invention `in its adaptation to the detlbration of asbestos libres. Y It will be understood, however, that such treatment is illustrative action when molded under .heat and pressure into slabs or the like, and hence the Ybetter its insulating properties.

. Another ladvantage of such ilne uniform ilbres is'that they enable the'weishtofvthe slab to be substantially reduced without impairment of its insulating properties.A

A further advantage of such iine uniform l fibres is that substantially all unwanted particles of foreign materials were removed during the deflbrlng operation, thus assuring a substantially clean final product.

In producing such fine -uniform fibres I prefer to proceed as follows: e

The raw fibres tobeprocessed, consisting in part of nbre bundles and unwanted particles of foreign matter, are mixed with sufflcientwater or other suitable liquid vehicle in a charging chest to form a suspension of the desired consistency. This suspension is pumped from the charging chest tol a receiving chest by way of a fibre selector which functions both to free a portion of the wanted fine fibres from the mass of entangled fibres and foreign particles passing therethrough and send the same to the receiving chest along with the water of suspension, and to reject a portion of the larger nbres and unwanted partmentf 282:"

particles of foreign matter and remove the same from' the system. y

When the charging chest has emptied and the receiving chest has filled, the circulation is reversed, and the suspension pumped back to the charging chest by way of the flbre selector. At

larger fibres and foreign particles is removed from the suspension.' These passes are repeated until the suspension eventually contains substantially only the wanted ne fibres which are then withdrawn from the system, into any suitable collection receptacle, for such additionalprocessing as may .be necessary to adapt them for their intended purpose.

In addition to its fibre-selecting function the selector also exerts a grinding action on the fibres as they are repeatedly passed therethrough. This further reduces the fibres in size and assures a final product in which the flbres are all of substantially uniform size.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fi. 1 shows diagrammatlcally a preferred form of apparatus for the practice of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail of the fibre selector, and l Fig. 3 shows a modicatlon. i

In such drawing, the charging chest is indicated at I0 and the receiving chest at Il. -Both chests are of substantially equal capacity and each is equipped with any motor-driven agitator l2 of well known type,

Chests l0 and Il are connected to each other near their lower ends by a header` I3 equipped with valves M and I5. Said chests are connected to each other near their upper ends by a header I6 equipped with valves I1 and Il, and also by means of an overflow pipe I! equipped with valves 2l and 2|. i

Header l: connects at 2: with the inlet side of a 'motor-driven circulating pump 23 of wellknown type. Extending from the outlet side of Y neath said box butabove the chests. `B oxdi is4 partitioned esst 1 tq'rorm joverflowgco'm The capacity of pump 23' is somewhat in excess of the quantity of the suspension which will pass through selector 2l., The entire suspension however is pumped into head box 2l and overflows intocompartment t8. Such of it as the selector will handle at any one pass iiows by gravity through pipe 29 into the inlet side'of the selector.

o That portion of the suspension which is allowed each pass, a new portion of the wanted iine ilbres` is freed and a new portion of the unwanted by the selector to pass through it flows to chest Il by way of pipe Il connecting with header I6. That portion of the suspension which is rejected by the selector is discharged out of the system through a suitably valved discharge pipe 3i. The surplus portion of the suspension in head box Il overnows into pipe I2 leading from said box and connecting with overilow header Il.

The fibre selecter is preferably of the type disthe conical 'surface of e. fmstro-eonfeel rotor ss set therein and functioning as a closure for said v opening Il. Rotor ll is fast on a motor-driven shaft I1 operating at suitable speed.

The body of the rotor projects into the suspension and is provided with a plurality of suitably spaced extremely nne alternating ribs 3l and grooves. The inner ends of the grooves are disposed interiorly of the chamber and the outer discharging into pipe 8l. This gives an improved ends-of thegrooves are disposed exteriorly of the chamber so that in the operation of the selector a portion of the suspension which has entered said grooves by the force of the static head of the suspension and there subjected to centrifugal force is caused by the disposition of the grooves to move outwardly therealong and to discharge exteriorly of the chamber into pipe 8l.

The nbres and other particles of foreign matter in the suspension which are of a size as not to be accepted by the grooves are passed out of the selector through pipe si and discharged into any suitable collection receptacle (not shown).

Thev preferred method of operating my equip ment is as follows:

After a measured quantity of raw asbestos or other nbres and water has been placed in charging chest Iii and mixed together by means of the agitator I2 in said chest. the several valves of the apparatus are adjusted to permit the suspension to be pumped from said chest to receiving chest ii by way of the nbre selector. Fbr this purpose, valves il, il and I0 are opened and valves il, i1 and Ii are closed.

The motors for the circulating pump and nbre selector are started and the suspension from chest I0 is drawn through open valve il along header Il into the inlet 22 of the pump 2l. From pump 23 it is pumped through delivery pipe 24 into the main compartment of head box 2i, overflowing into the overnow compartment 2l, from whence it passes by pipe 2l into the selector chamber and is separated, the fines being passed by means of 'pipe Il into header II and through open valve il into chest Ii, the rejected nbres escaping from the syste. i through pipe si. 'Ihe surplus portion of the suspension in head box 2l overnows into pipe I2 and passes through open valve Il-back to chest I0 by way of overflow header il.

When chest il is'emptied, the setting of the rvalves is reversed and the suspension is re-passed nbre selector as shown in Fig. 8. Referring to nbre-refining action and reduces thel number of -times necessary te pass the material from one chest to the other.

Various other modifications in the method and apparatus may obviously be resorted to if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a charging chest and a receiving chest between which a suspension of nbres is to be circulated, a header connecting said chests near their lower ends, valves in said header for controlling the passage of the suspension from one chest to the other, a circulating pump having its inlet side connected to said header between said valves. a delivery pipe at the discharge side of said pump, a second header connecting said chests near their upper ends, valves in said second header for controlling the passage of the suspension from one chest to the other, a head box surmounting said chests into which said delivery pipe discharges, a nbre selector between said chests, a feed pipe from said head box to the inlet side of said nbre selector, a pipe from vthe outlet side of said nbre selector connecting with said second-named header between the valves thereof, and a discharge pipe from said selector for withdrawing from the suspension unwanted nbres and foreign zatterand discharging the same from the sys- 2. The apparatus of claim 1. the head box being sub-divided into a main compartment and an overnow compartment, the delivery pipe from the pump discharging into said main compartment and the feed Pipe to the inlet side of the nbre selector connecting with said overflow compartment, an overflow pipe from said main compart- 'ment connecting with both of said chests near their upper ends, and valves in said overnow pipe for controlling the passage of the overnow to a selected chest.

' 3. The apparatus of claim l, the nbre selector including a frustroeonical rotor and a plurality of superimposed doctors surrounding the same. the doctors being separated by spacers of such length aste leave pockets between their inner ends and the adjacent face of the rotor.

4. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a charging chest and a receiving chest between which a suspension of nbres is to be circulated. a head box surmounting saidV chests and a nbre selector between said chests, means for alternately circulating the suspension from one chest to the other by way of said head box and nbre selector, a header connecting said chests near their upper ends. vvalves in said header. a feed pipe from said head box to the inlet side of said nbre selector. a pipe fromv the outlet side of said nbre selector connecting with said header between the valves thereof, and a discharge pipe from said selector for withdrawing from the suspension unwanted nbres and foreign matter and discharging the same from the system.

' CYRUB E. RDBERSON. 

